NATURE FRIDAY

 

Sharing images from a recent visit to Glenstone in Potomac, MD 

with my daughter and youngest grandboy.  

My words could never capture the beauty and magic that blends together

architecture and art set into raw nature ...

so I ask that you visit below, to see more.

GLENSTONE

Sharing with Nature Friday, Rosy and Sunny.

NATURE FRIDAY

The colors of love abound in nature.

We "revisit" photos from earlier years, backyard birdwatching elsewhere in Maryland.
Clockwise from top left: cardinal, downy woodpecker and pileated woodpecker.
It was not unusual to see the pileated woodpecker, most often high in the trees in our neighborhood. 
However, this time one had come to the ground, finding a marvelous lunch in a rotting log.  
The surprise came when a second pileated made it a table for two.

Below, from my years of life in Florida, the roseate spoonbill,

photographed at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.

FELINE FRIDAY and NATURE FRIDAY

 The park on our corner is abloom with tulips, blazing red.  It is Nature Friday.

I pretended to walk among the tulips.  It is Feline Friday.

These were more flowers, trees and shrubs blooming in and around the park

on this day we walked.  I couldn't find the photos when I first posted this morning, 

then realized a bit later on they were still on my cell phone.

SEEN IN AN EVERGREEN

Christmas here, Christmas there,
look around, it's everywhere!

IS IT SAFE YET?

Wild turkeys, photographed on a nature walk during a visit in Florida.

 

SUNDAY SELFIE

Ha, ha!

Did-ya know it's my

Goatcha Day?

So I'm off to join the

SUNDAY SELFIES BLOG HOP

at

THE CAT ON MY HEAD

(though I'd be bleating a bunch if'n there were a cat on my head!)

IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE ZOO

Photo from a 2017 visit at the National Zoo

~ a new little panda has arrived ~

THE PANDA CAM

NATURE FRIDAY

Pausing along a somewhere road heading nowhere.

Today is NATURE FRIDAY
hosted by our friends at
LLB in our BACKYARD.

AWWW MONDAY

AWWW MONDAY BLOG HOP

COMEDY PLUS

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Good Mourning Dove

How many Dove's do you see?

Sorry, there are not really three.

T'was a Photoshop trick played by me.

Mr. Dove in the center is the only one.

First he turned to his left, then he turned to his right,

and he joined himself in the morning light.

Always thankful to start my day with a bit of bird watching.

HAPPY TUESDAY

Whistle a happy tune ~

HAPPY TUESDAY

COMEDY PLUS

THANKFUL THURSDAY

There are days when the bright skies of blue are broken by times of dark clouds.  When it feels the world is not so wonderful.  I wander, camera in hand.  I do see trees of green, and in the grass of green, frozen and frightened, a small bunny.  And my dark cloud is gone for a moment as I take in his beauty, the wonder and magic in this moment, and his place in our world.  He made my world wonderful again and I am thankful.  And I remember the beautiful words of my favorite song ... today is the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop at Brian's Home.

HAPPY TUESDAY with Downy

Downy Woodpecker

Good Morning Downy, it makes me happy to see you again!

HAPPY TUESDAY

BLOG HOP

COMEDY PLUS

NATURE FRIDAY

Great Falls on the upper Potomac River is bordered by Maryland and Virginia.

It really doesn't matter which side you choose to visit ~ each is dramatic in it's own way,

each offers hiking trails easy-to-difficult, extraordinary rock formations, bridges and

catwalks over the rushing rapids and spots of respite where pools of calm waters rest among rocks.

Open all seasons of the year, the landscape shifts and changes with changing weather.

Photos from a winter afternoon recently spent hiking on the Maryland side.

Today we'll join the 

NATURE FRIDAY Blog Hop

sponsored by LLB in our Backyard.

NATURE FRIDAY

Patuxent River State Park ~ January 4, 2020

Waterside on one of the many trails in the park.  A sunny, but crisp winter day.  Birds and water birds soar above. We hear but rarely see the small critters who run to hide from our noisy feet that crunch on leaves and twigs.  All is brown and grey but for the brilliant blue of the sky reflected in waters we walk beside. My daughter, my grand boy captured together and only when the picture is placed online do I see the heart carved into the tree.  The camera sees what we often do not see.  

Nature Friday
A beautiful blog hop
brought to us by our friends
LLB in our Backyard

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY

We could not even begin to list the number of species, across all forms of life,

that are endangered today, whose numbers are rapidly declining.  We could not even begin

to count those who have already disappeared from our planet over the ages.

Generations to come will never even know the beauty of many who inhabit our world today.

Do what you can, when you can.  Please.  

THANKFUL THURSDAY ~ Tweets and Meows

Above ~ whenever Aunt Dee gives furry Zoey a good brushing, there is a lot, a whole lot, of fur!

So, one day recently, she took all that furry-fluff and put it in a pot on the patio.

Along came a little Tufted Titmouse ~ she found that fluffy treasure and said,

"oh my, tweet, tweet ~ my babies will soon have the softest nest in the whole wide world!"

Below ~ just had to "play" a little with this awesome photo ~ for the original photo above, my thanks to Aunt Dee.

"Tweet, tweet ... thank you for the nest-building fluff, purrfect for my babies, " said the Tufted Titmouse.

"You are most welcome," said Zoey, "I have plenty to share!"

Mother Nature shares, we are thankful ~ remember, tomorrow
is ARBOR DAY ~ plant a tree, share in nature.

GOOD MORNING, GOBBLERS

It's Nature Friday at Living, Laughing and Barking in our Backyard.

Seen on a nature trail walk ...
Wild turkeys ... Mr Gobbler up in a tree while Mrs Gobbler wanders below.

AWWW MONDAYS Blog Hop

This is an image that makes us say "awww" ~ not only because these little house sparrows are fun to watch as they challenge one another for a turn at the suet cage ... but I'm also saying "awww" because this great photo was shot by my grandson!  

It's really a joy to see him taking an interest in bird-watching ... we set up this little backyard feeding station earlier this summer.  Each weekend we spend a little time there working to improve the area, clean it up a bit ... add to it.  Perhaps visit the Wild Bird Center for some new seed to try out or a piece of equipment to add.  Soon we'll try some recipes for making our own suet.  And this past weekend we bought several sizes of clay pots and saucers which we'll be painting, upside-downing and creating our own bird bath before he returns to school.

Now we are also part of a group on Facebook, WHAT'S THIS BIRD.  A great group and my grandson and I anxiously post our photos there for help with identification since we are novices.  After learning "who and what" they are, we'll look them up in one of our bird books for more information about them.  He is getting so much better with his photography (and has decided to ask Santa for his own camera this year!) ... Anyway ... here, one of his best photos!  

AWWW ... 

CATURDAY [BIRD] ART

Still trying to photograph the many birds that visit our little backyard feeding station.  It's going to take a lot of practice and a lot of patience.

And what do you do with a not-very-good picture of a lovely cardinal?

Just play with it ... play with it a lot ... for Caturday-Bird-Art!

Original Photo

Caturday Bird Art